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Leviathan - Arc 6
Chapter 25 A day or two had passed since the defeat of the Leviathan. Word had spread across the playerbase about the ongoing events that occured since the defeat of the 64th Boss of Aincrad. Rumours had it several players had been either harrased or outright murdered in cold blood by the black-hooded assailants. Next to that, the survivors had spread the tale of how a few brave players had been sucked in and back into a strange vortex midway through the fight. For a brief moment, once more, Nakuro was the centre of attention for many players. Some among them praised him for his bold actions and his headstrong mentality. Others... not so much. Some scoffed him as he walked the streets, a select few going as far as spitting on the ground beneath him and cursing him for his reckless behaviour. Certainly they were not pleased with his actions, deeming them dangerous to the rest of them. He took no heed to the latter. They had no idea how deep into shit they actually were. They only knew about his sword. That, and Akira, of course. They had retreated from the front lines, trying to avoid Heathcliff and his ilk for a while. They had seen enough redcoated men over the course of the last week, which was more than enough for his taste. He needed some peace and quiet for himself, and for Haruka. The item they retrieved was about to play a pivotal role in their life within the game. But they would worry about Ranothir and Kiyoshi at a later stage. For now, they were exhausted. Well, the rest was. Nakuro felt up to the task of leveling and training, like always. His only goal, that had persisted the test of time, was to finish this game. It had changed, slightly though. Their aim wasn't to clear the castle any longer. A greater threat to their lives had made itself present, more avidly than before. With the arrival of the Black Hand, they were kept on their toes. Especially Haruka was watchfull of her surroundings, and for her sake too had they moved to a more remote, silent level of the game. Yuuni, among them, was especially eager to prove her worth. Nakuro smiled to himself. He found it weird to feel so proud of her. He had seen her grow over the weeks, swiftly rising through levels and developing a style which almost had a unique distinguish from his own. That, alongside her recent feats during the assault upon the Occulus and the boss battle had earned her the 'respect' of Nakuro. Hollow as it may have seen to her, it was a pat on the head and a solid nod. He kicked a pebble as he thought about his lack of appreciation. Maybe he didn't show it enough... did he? He didn't know, but he wasn't about to take a gander at that question. So, he decided to take the day off with Yuuni, clearing his schedule from his appointment with Ayase and his scrying session with Akira. They had spent their day quite usefully. First, they worked on their Acrobatics before heading over to a nearby grove filled with boulders. There, they pounded away at the rock structures with Greatswords, working on techniques and skills as they pushed their body limits. Afterwards, they each took a seperate bath beneath an overhanging waterfall. Yuuni was particularly picky about Nakuro sneak-peeking, ordering him at least a hundred feet away from her, to which he agreed with a cheeky grin upon his lips. "...Ahhhhh." Yuuni sighed wearily. "Just what I needed... so, what do you think?" "Hrmn..." Nakuro swept his wet hair backwards with his fingers as he looked away. "You're doing better each sessions... though your form-" "Isn't too fluid; I know, I know." Yuuni playfully ended his verdict as she gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "God, someday I'll even learn to think like you!" "Hey, it's not my fault for slacking so bad that you know exactly what I'll say." Nakuro chuckled as he dodged a far more feral, angry punch to his side. "Anyway... I brought this, and eat up. You'll need it for our later work-out." He said as he selected a handfull of items from his inventory. From thin air, a small blanket spawned, along with a basket full of various sandwiches and jar of plain water. "A solo player's royal lunch." He proclaimed as he eagerly dug in, handing a sandwich to Yuuni first. "Mhm!" She hummed. "You must've gone to lengths to prepare these!" "O-Oh..." He scratched his neck with a stuffed mouth. "It wasn't-" Yuuni folded her arms as her eyes peered at him. "...Ayase did this.... didn't she Nak?" "M-MHM!" He objected as a few crumbs of bread spat from the corner of his mouth. They shared a quick laugh, and continued eating. "So... Yuuni!" Nakuro continued, barely swallowing a big chunck away before posing his next question. "Now that we have the time... why don't you tell me more about your parents?" "Hmn?" Yuuni peered back up at him as she took a swig of the jar of water. "How come?" "Well... I told you about mine and Ayase's... I was curious about yours." He offered a shrug. "That is, if you want to tell me?" Yuuni peered down at her shoes as she lowered her food. "Look, I didn't-" Nakuro started to apologize, but Yuuni smiled at him. "Mhm, it's fine." She said quietly. "I mean, it's totally fair, yes." She tapped her chin as she started to drift off into thought. "Where to begin..." "Uhm... How about the beginning?" Nakuro chuckled uneasily, trying to diffuse her tension. "Well, duuuh smart ass." She giggled. "Well... I'm an only child, as you know. My parents were always so protective of me because of that. Only wanting the best for me at all times. Especially my dad. He always encouraged me in everything I did." "Sounds nice..." Nakuro dipped his head. "Well... it was... untill..." Yuuni staggered. "One day... I came home from school. I remember it pretty well, those things stick when you're young, you know." "Mhm...?" "And... well..." She sighed deeply. "They were having an argument. I can't remember, sadly, what exactly they were bickering about, but I remember my dad taking me by the arm and taking me upstairs. He put me in my room, and I listened for roughly half an hour to their incessant arguing. It was the first of many fights they had..." "What happened?" Nakuro asked carefully, leaning in. Yuuni rested herself backwards, leaning on her elbows. "It continued for years. My father seemed more withdrawn as time went by. And my mother... we barely spoke. She stayed away from home from time to time, returning suddenly after weeks of absence. She distanced herself from me, and at some point I figured she must've been scared of me or something." She continued slowly. "As a child, you're more naïve about those things." "So what did you do?" "I followed her one day when she left us again. I followed her on the busline outside of our village, till the next. And I kept at it, following her across busy streets and alleyways. Untill she reached someone's house." Her tone grew darker when she neared the ending. "So she was seeing someone else... Damnit..." Nakuro shook his head. He never should've asked. "I'm sorry..." "Mhm, don't be." Yuuni glanced back at him, sharing a moment. "The man was really nice to me, and explained much about my mother over a cup of tea. She finally confessed why they argued, why she only stopped by every now and then... She simply fell in love with someone else at some point." "What was so different about the guy that you're father didn't have?" Nakuro promted, raising his brows. "I mean, from first impression, I'd figure your dad is a pretty good guy." "Nothing, really." Yuuni offered him a shrug back, shaking her head. "She simply loved him more than she loved my father. A bitter pill for him, of course. No wonder he withdrew himself so heavily. His self-esteem hit a self-destruct button." "Hrmn... Aslong as it didn't have a negative impact on you..." Nakuro dusted himself off. "Would be a shame for a girl like you to have suffered beneath their issues." "I've gotten over it..." Yuuni gracefully dipped her head. "I've forgiven them both for what transpired long ago..." "That's good." Nakuro said with a grin. "Means you're a bigger person." "I guess so..." She chuckled. "Now just to test if you're a fighter, too!" He laughed as he took off. "Last one to the top buys the drinks!" "H-Hey! Not fair- NAK!" --- Category:Chapter